Home > Local Transport Plans > Provisional LTP July 2005 (version for comments) > Travel and Transport Problems

Travel and Transport Movements

Transport is not an end in itself. As individuals, we use the transport system in order to do other things. Travel is a reflection of peopleÂ’s lifestyles, income levels and the way industry, businesses and the service sector organise their activities. The way we travel also has an effect on the way we live and on quality of life.


Car Ownership

The ratio of car ownership in our Area is 47 cars per 100 residents. This varies from 42 cars per 100 in Sandwell and Wolverhampton, to 61 per 100 in Solihull. Levels of car ownership have increased steadily over recent years but there are still one in three households without a car (see Figure 1 ‘Percentage of households without access to a vehicle’). Although 67% of households have a car, not everyone in a household has access at any time. A significant proportion of the population lacks a driving licence and 50% of people rely on non-car modes for their daily travel.

Transport surveys taken across the Metropolitan Area in 2001 show that households with a car make 78% more trips than those without a car (2.25 v. 1.26 trips per household per day). Car ownership increases accessibility and offers personal benefits but it also increases traffic and congestion, and contributes to a decline in the use of public transport services.

The Transport Network

The Metropolitan Area has to deal with people and goods travelling through, as well as into and within, the Area. The strategic roads (M6, M5 and M42) and railways (West Coast Main Line and Cross-Country route) have suffered from lack of investment and have become bottlenecks rather than thoroughfares.

We have a wide range of transport facilities within the Metropolitan Area including:

Personal Travel

Travel patterns vary in time, purpose and mode. About a third of all measured trips are for commuting to and from work, with a further quarter related to education. Shopping accounts for almost a quarter of movements (see Figure 3 ‘Personal Travel by Trip PurposeÂ’). Well over half of all journeys are made by car, while nearly a quarter are by bus or rail. Most of the rest are by foot, with just 2% by bicycle or other mode (see Figure 4 ‘Personal Travel by Main ModeÂ’) – an under-recording of short walking trips should be recognised when considering the data).

The morning peak hour from 08.00 to 09.00 includes 17% of all daily trips, with a slightly lower percentage in the evening peak hour. The phenomena of ‘peak spreading’, i.e. peak periods starting earlier and finishing later, is evident over recent years.

Traffic

Car ownership has continued to grow and congestion is a constraint to traffic growth within urban areas, particularly at peak times. Traffic levels across the Metropolitan Area in 2003 were almost 17% higher than in 1987, though most of the increase occurred in the first five years. This compares with a national increase of 38% (see Figure 5 ‘Trends in Traffic Growth’). There is clear evidence that traffic levels on peak hour shoulders have increased rapidly and that there has been a growth in inter-peak period traffic.

Traffic speeds in the morning peak continue to decline and journey reliability has decreased. Figure 6 ‘West Midlands Traffic Speeds by link – 2002 AM PeakÂ’ and Figure 7 ‘West Midlands Traffic Speeds by link – 2004 AM PeakÂ’ illustrate this decline.

Modelling indicates that the annual cost of congestion in the West Midlands will increase from £2.3 billion in 1999 to £2.5 billion by 2006 if nothing is done. Congestion is economically, environmentally and socially damaging. In the WMAMMS and 2003 LTP consultations, businesses said that congestion was made them less competitive and freight transport users reported unreliability and a lack of confidence in delivery times.

It is imperative, therefore, that we begin the debate with the business community and other key stakeholders as to whether our current measures are sufficient to tackle forecast longer term congestion growth or whether we need to consider different approaches which may influence the time and means of travel. It will also need to encompass what alternatives are required and how they can be provided.

Public Transport

Whilst traffic flow has increased slightly over the last decade, the decline in bus patronage has been more pronounced. Rail use has grown steadily in recent years and, nationally, there are now more passenger trips than at any time since the 1950s, on significantly less track. Birmingham New Street is the focus of most local and regional trips in our area, and is an important national station. It has seen especially significant growth during 2004, with increased off-peak travel generated by the revitalised city centre. For the main public transport modes, passenger trips in the West Midlands in 2004/05 totalled:

An increasing proportion of people are choosing to travel to work by private mode (mostly car) instead of by bus, cycle or walking, or are avoiding congestion by working from home (see Figure 8 ‘Travel to work in the West Midlands 1991-2001’).

Bus companies say delays to their services are unacceptably high. Travel West Midlands has identified some thirty locations and nearly 100 kilometres of road where severe congestion affects reliability on a regular basis. Operators are prepared to invest in highway facilities to reduce delays: an example is a bus gate on Highgate Middleway in Birmingham that allows buses to make a time-saving right turn.

Most of our Area is built-up but we do have one area – the Meriden Gap – that is predominately rural. This area is least well served by conventional bus services and is also the main area for equestrian activities. The particular problems of this area are tackled with niche services such as demand responsive bus services.

Road Safety

Traffic accidents remain a major concern despite a significant reduction in the numbers of people killed or seriously injured in recent years (see Figure 9 ‘Trends in Road Casualties 1994-2004’). In 2004, there were 82 people killed and 1,067 seriously injured; total casualties (including those slightly injured) fell to 11,814. Pedestrian and cyclist casualties have generally fallen in recent years, but powered two-wheeler casualties have increased. To some extent these trends mirror changes in the use of these modes.

Cycling on major roads has been falling for many years, but investment in off-road facilities has encouraged more cycle use on specific routes. Pedestrians have seen improvements to footways, notably at junctions and in pedestrian areas, but there are still many impediments to safe, easy walking. Concerns for personal safety and security influence peopleÂ’s choice of transport and whether they travel at all. These concerns are held particularly by people in deprived areas and by women, the elderly, ethnic minorities and the less mobile.

The Road Network

Recent increases in expenditure on maintenance are beginning to show benefits, even though some problems remain with the condition of both roads and footways. However, regular changes in the prescribed national methodology for monitoring the condition of roads, which often produces wildly differing results depending on the approach taken, mean that it is very difficult to produce accurate trend information.

Some bridge strengthening is required on the Primary Route Network in order to carry heavier lorries. The strengthening programme for rail structures is less well advanced and requires further work in partnership with Network Rail. The Asset Management Plan will help to prioritise the programme. There is a greater need to address an increasing backlog of bridge maintenance and the many sub-standard bridges on local roads in order both to remove and prevent further restrictions on commercial traffic and public transport.